THE West of England’s “timetable-less” on-demand bus service is set to begin running a timetabled bus route between Bath and Radstock.

The WESTlink “demand responsive transport” service — where minibuses are booked by app or phone and take people anywhere within a certain zone — was introduced to the area around Bath and Bristol back in April 2023.

But now the scheme will begin running one timetabled service, in addition to the current bookable buses.

The new 768 bus will launch on Monday, September 1, and use a 16-seater WESTlink minibuses despite following a timetabled route. It will run from Bath to Writhlington twice a day and stop off in five villages which currently have no timetabled bus services along the way.

The West of England Combined Authority is funding the new route from the government funding for the WESTlink trial.

Metro mayor for the West of England Helen Godwin said: “We want to build the kind of bus service that local people deserve, working with local councils and operators to tackle longstanding challenges, and plan to publish a bus plan for the region towards the end of the year.”

Fironey Gourley (Liberal Democrats, Bathavon South) is the cabinet project lead for sustainable rural transport at Bath and North East Somerset Council, and she has been a critic of WESTlink.

She said: “Residents in the Cam Valley have long been calling for reliable public transport, and I’m delighted that this fixed-route, timetabled WESTlink bus trial will help reconnect our villages with each other and Bath and Radstock.

“We’ve worked closely with WECA to highlight the needs of our rural communities, and this marks a welcome shift in approach. We hope the success of this trial will pave the way for more frequent and dependable services, enabling rural residents to access education, work, healthcare, leisure, and shopping without relying on cars or neighbours.”

Ms Godwin added: “I know how important bus services are for local people, particularly in more rural areas of our region. Residents of these towns and villages in North East Somerset should see and feel a difference – especially in the five villages which do not currently have a bus service.”

She continued: “I’m looking forward to seeing local people using these buses over the coming months, taking up the new timetabled bus service between Writhlington and Bath.”

The bus will run Mondays to Saturdays, but not on Sundays or bank holidays. It will stop in Writhlington, Radstock, Clandown, Camerton and Timsbury, before then continuing on to Tunley, Priston, Nailwell, Englishcombe, Bear Flat, before finally stopping at the Ambury stop by Avon Street Car Park in Bath city centre.

The bus will run three services a day, although the first and last bus will only go between Writhlington and Timsbury.

Meanwhile another timetabled WESTlink service following a fixed route instead of running on demand could also soon be running between Thornbury and Yate in South Gloucestershire, Thornbury and Yate MP Claire Young has said.